Method In My Madness
by Dozen and One Stars
Summary: AU. Life works in mysterious ways. For example Mamori Anezaki never in a million years would have guessed that she would unknowingly make a deal with the devil, especially such a young looking one with blond spiky hair and piercing blue eyes. Go figure.
1. Overture To The Everlasting Fire

Overture To The Everlasting Fire

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Disclaimer: I do not own Eyeshield 21.

A/N: Greek mythology is refered to through out the story.

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The most common description of the Devil is a tall thin but muscular man downed in a red tight skinned suit. He has horns growing out of the side of his head and a pointed tail. Often carrying a pitchfork he is sometimes pictured with a cape. Of course he is set in a scene of constant fire, which may or may not include a three-headed dog, named Cerberus. The image is not that far off.

True he is tall and has a good build but he does not wear a tight red suit. Actually he has recently developed a taste for a more modern day American style of clothing consisting of dark jeans, a black shirt, and a leather jacket when he feels like wearing one. On the other hand he does not have horns or a tail but rather a spiky full head of blond hair. His eyes are blue and while he does not carry a pitchfork he nearly always has some form of firearm within reach. While he does have a dog, named Cerberus, it is not three headed. Looking more like a mutt than some otherworld terror he can be as fearful as his master. In short it would be best to avoid this particular mutt whenever you can.

And though he is constantly referred to simply as 'The Devil' he does have a name.

Known only by those who worked for him in the underworld as Yoichi Hiruma.

Speaking of those who worked for him, his right hand man was currently having a rather casual and slightly unusual conversation with said Devil. Only called Musashi, he had been with Hiruma the longest, thus why he was so trusted and the only reason this particular conversation was still going on. Shall we see what they are talking about?

With piercing blue eyes, Hiruma put down the firearm that he was cleaning and stared at his faithful friend. "What the hell is your problem, damn old man?"

"Nothing." Musashi shrugged his shoulders as he let out a puff of smoke from his cigarette. Strange as the habits he picked up in hell let it never be said that the Devil didn't take care of his men.

Hiruma scoffed. "It's never nothing with you."

"I was just wondering when the last time you were interested in a girl?" The other man leaned back against the steps he was sitting on and looked out into the vast place before him.

Contrary to popular belief, hell wasn't all fire and brimstone. Sure there was fire but it created a wall surrounding the grounds Hiruma and his carefully selected team lived in. It was actually a sturdy stone set castle with a large yard in the front. Sure it was filled mostly with dead trees, dirt, and brown grass but it was far more modern looking than anyone would have expected.

The blond devil shot him a menacing glare from his spot at the top of the stairs. "What makes you think that it's any of your god damn business?"

"Touchy." Musashi closed his eyes and blew a puff of smoke upwards. "It's just a question."

"A question you have no right in asking." Hiruma went back to fixing the trigger of his gun.

Taking his cigarette out of his mouth the older looking boy turned his head to he could actually see whom he was talking to. "Why not? I've known you forever and unless Zues himself decides to come down and separate us we'll know each other for the rest of time. Might as well enjoy a casual conversation about girls. It's not like you got anything better to do."

This was true. At the moment Hiruma had no other pressing matters to attend to, he had his two messengers helping guide people to his domain, his next in command after Musashi helping new arrivals adjust along with his out special team of helpers, and his consultant was currently stockpiled with work. There seemed to be more dying than usual today. The only reason Hiruma ever went to the modern world was if there was a deal to be made.

The blond didn't bother looking up. "Curiosity killed the cat."

"But satisfaction brought him back." Musashi countered as he flung his cigarette to the ground and crushed it with the heel of his boot. "Come to think of it you've never shown interest in a girl before. In fact you seem to attract them."

When Hiruma failed to respond, he continued. "Venus took a liking towards you since she rose up on that half shell. Persephone developed a crush on you when she went through that rebellious phase."

"Do have a point in your babble?" Hiruma snapped.

"Just that it's perfectly normal for a healthy young man such as yourself to take notice of the opposite side of the gene pool." He looked up at the black-clouded sky. It seemed his observation was bothering Hiruma more than he was letting on. The weather often reflected what he refused to show. "Some of the other gods are starting to talk."

The blond devil's voice kept steady and annoyed. "So what? They've always talked. They're all nothing but a bunch of damned gossips."

"Yeah but now they're talking about why you are so indifferent to women." Musashi scratched the back of his head and hoped he wouldn't have to tell of some of the theories he had overheard while on an errand above with the other gods and goddesses.

Of coarse his wish was ignored. "What have those idiots come up with now?"

The older looking man shifted uncomfortably on his step. "Just that... well you know."

"Tell me." Hiruma demanded as his last piece fell into place. He had finally fixed the problem with his gun and in fittingly with his personality shot off a few rounds at a tree in the distance.

Musashi talked over the ringing in his ears. "I'd rather not."

"Quite your damn stalling and answer the question!" Hiruma was never a patient person when he knew he could get what he wanted right away. He hated beating around the bush.

"They're considering the fact that you might swing the other way." There he said it and now he felt like scrubbing his skin clean with steel wool and scalding hot water.

Hiruma looked up to see Musashi stand up and start walking down the front steps of the castle. He raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going, damn gramps?"

Musashi looked over his shoulder. "To go clean my mouth out with soap."

Hiruma waited until his friend was out of sight before turning around and yelling at the castle. "Damn baldy!"

His consultant, Manabu Yukimitsu, appeared at his side a few minutes later looking slightly disheveled and out of breathe. Standing up straight he fixed his tie and ran a hand through his messy hair. "What is it you need?"

"Stop whatever the hell you're doing. I have something more important for you to do instead." He waited until his consultant had a notepad and pencil in hand. Ready to jot down his new assignment, curious to know what could possibly be more important. "Go find a girl for me. Someone from above that I can talk to."

"Sir?" Poor Yukimitsu has horribly confused.

A crack a lightening flashed and thunder rolled across the dark sky indicating Hiruma's foul mood. If possible it made him look even more menacing that usual. "You heard me dammit! Now go!"

Not wanting to be in his presence while he was angry Yukimitsu gave a small bow before rushing back inside and running up the many flights of stairs to his room where he immediately began searching.

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	2. Heroine In Slight High Heels

Heroine In Slight High Heels

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Disclaimer: I do not own Eyeshield 21.

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The next morning Musashi walked into the dining room of the castle to find Hiruma shuffling a deck of cards with his feet propped up the well-crafted table. "So have you given any thoughts to finding a girl yet?"

"None." Hiruma said with a straight face.

His first hand man raised an eyebrow and crushed out his cigarette in the ashtray that was placed on the table. Taking a seat next to the blond devil he tapped his hand on the dark wood. "Really?"

Hiruma didn't bother responding as he started dealing out cards. Figuring that he wasn't going to get a response out of him, he started playing Blackjack. Not much later Yukimitsu ran in looking exhausted and slightly disoriented. He handed a piece of paper over to the blond devil. "I stayed up all night but I found a girl. Can I sleep now?""

"Go!" The blond didn't bother hiding the angry annoyance in his voice.

Musashi watched Yukimitsu shuffle out of the room in fatigue. He looked at his friend with a slight smirk on his face. "I thought you said that you didn't think about finding a girl?"

"Shut up and play!" Hiruma ordered as he shoved the paper into his pocket.

He let out a laugh and his chair screeched as he pushed it out. Getting up he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Sorry. I promised to visit Kurita after breakfast."

Once he heard the sound of the front door closing, he leaned over and lifted the face down cards. An ace of spades and a queen of hearts rested on the smooth tabletop. He cursed under his breath. "Damn gramps."

Digging through his pocket he pulled out the paper that Yukimitsu had given him. He read through the basic information and looked at the picture featured. Bringing his right hand to his mouth and let out a high pitched whistle. Almost instantly there was one of his messengers by him. He was short and appeared extremely nervous. "I need you to find this girl and scout her out, damn pipsqueak."

"But still have to-"

Hiruma shoved the paper into his hands. Standing up he towered over the smaller boy. "Forget whatever you were going to do, Suzuna will be taking over your duties for the rest of the day. All your attention and concentration will be focused on her. Report back at the end of the day. No excuses!"

With a sigh the poor messanger resigned himself to his fate and tucked the folded piece of paper inside his coat pocket.

And so that's how he found himself following a complete stranger on a busy Tokyo street, dashing behind mailboxes and telephone poles so that she wouldn't see him. Well his earlier statement had been wrong. She wasn't a complete stranger to him. Only a mostly stranger.

According to the piece of paper hidden in his coat pocket her name was Mamori Anezaki. She worked at place called Kariya, which baked and sold cream puffs. It also explained her outfit of a knee length black skirt, a slight pair of high heels, and the required work shirt. She also did some volunteer reading at the library, was currently taking classes at a nearby college she just had her birthday. Her golden birthday as a matter of fact. She turned twenty-four on the twenty fourth.

Uh oh. While he was daydreaming she had slipped ahead. Just as he was about to make a beeline to his next hiding place somebody grabbed his collar and pulled him into an alleyway. With his back against the cold brick wall he let out a groan. His head had hit the wall and now he had a dull throbbing sensation. Lifting up his eyes they widened as he found himself staring at two scary looking young men. He gulped. Today just wasn't his day.

The one holding him off the ground by the front of his shirt was the first to speak. He smirked as he spoke. His tone obviously conveying the true meaning behind his words. "We seem to be a little short on cash. You mind spotting us some?"

"I do-don't have any." The messenger stammered. It was true. Hiruma hadn't given him any money before he left.

Just as it seemed that things were about to turn painful for the terrified messenger a miracle happened. All of a sudden the man's grip was gone and the poor boy fell to the ground. The big guy clutched his head in pain as his friend stood by with a dumb struck expression stuck upon his face. "Ow! What the hell-?"

From his spot of the ground the Devil's messenger could see the girl he was supposed to be following standing behind the two with her black purse pulled back high above her head in a threatening manner. Her bright blue eyes flashing dangerously like lightening across tha pitch-black night. "You jerks! Get away from him! What's he ever done to you?"

The more assertive of the two finally recovered from being whacked upside the head and was now thoroughly pissed. He took a step towards her, ready to lunge. "Oh boy lady... you shouldn't have done that. You've put me in a bad mood."

"Well too bad because mine's worse. Where do you get off attacking people weaker that you? You think it makes you tough or something? You're nothing but a coward!" This Mamori girl was refusing to back down and kept her eyes locked on the ire filled man.

When he finally made a grab at her she was ready. In one swift movement her purse came crashing down, hitting him in the eye. With a pained yelp he stumbled backwards and into his friend, who grabbed him by the shoulders and disappeared off into the crowded sidewalk. She glared after them for a moment before turning her attention to the boy she had just saved. Immediately the anger was replaced with concern. "Are you all right? They didn't hurt you?"

"N-no." He stuttered as he tried to stand.

She offered her hand and helped him on his feet. Soon she was acting like an overprotective mother hen. "You're just lucky I noticed that my watch had fallen off or I never would have turned around to look for it. You really have to be more careful. Are you sure you're all right? You look kind of pale.''

He nodded as his mind swirled with a million different thoughts. Hiruma never said anything about talking to her! What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't just follow her around unnoticed now that she knew what he looked like. Oh, what to do? What to do? Why him? Why did these kinds of things always have to happen to him? "I-I'm fine... really."

"You don't look fine." She stated as she lead him out of the ally and onto the sidewalk. "I'm worried about you."

He finally regained some composure though there was a slight shake in his knees form the nervousness of not knowing what to do now that she knew his face. How could he observe her secretively when she knew what he looked like? "Really I'm fine. You should get going."

"I can't just leave you here all alone while you look like you're about to collapse." She seemed to think it over for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "Why don't you come with me to work? At least until I'm sure you're okay to be alone."

He took a step back, resisting the urge to bolt. "I couldn't. I don't want to be in the way or anything so I'll just go and-"

She grabbed his arm. "Humor me. I'll worry all day if I'm not one hundred percent sure you're fine."

What was he supposed to do? Resigning himself to his fate he allowed himself to be dragged by her to work. When she was sure he wasn't going to take off she let go of his arm and walked at a much more natural pace. In the mists of the uncomfortable silence Mamori realized something and broke the ice. "How rude of me, I haven't even told you my name." She turned her head so she could look at him. "I'm Mamori Anezaki."

"Sena Kobayakawa..."

At the end of the day Sena found himself feeling especially jittery under the scrutinizing gaze of the blond devil. He shifted from foot to foot and avoided eye contact as much as possible while the information he had provided sunk into the other man's brain. It didn't take long. Before the messenger knew it he was speaking in a calm collected voice. "You mean to tell me that you spent the whole day running errands for that damn woman!"

Did I say calm and collected? I meant pissed and barely restrained.

"W-well she insisted that I come to work with her a-and I couldn't just sit there and do nothing so..." Poor Sena was shaking in his sneakers.

Hiruma didn't look pleased at all. "I sent you up there to get information! Not so you could become her personal gopher! Tell me you learned something new about her and didn't just waste a day of work!"

"Well-um..." Sena was never very productive under pressure.

"Dammit!" He slumped back into comfy throne like chair. "Never mind! Just get out of sight."

He was gone in a heartbeat.

Hiruma growled under his breath. Now he had to find somebody new to tail the girl. Who wasn't doing anything important at the moment? Just then the perfect person popped into his head. He was rather obvious and loud but he was the only one who didn't have a job assaigned to him yet. "Damn monkey, get in here now!"

From one of the side doors that entered into the spacious room something burst through the entrance, rolled along the ground until it was in front of the blond devil, and struck an unbelievably ridiculous pose. Only then could you make out the 'something' was actually a 'someone.' A short overly hyped spiky haired someone but a someone nonetheless. Standing up straight he gave a sloppy military style salute. "You called?"

"Yeah, I have a job for you." He threw the piece of paper with all the information on it, which was expertly caught in mid-air. Hiruma glared at him. "Follow her and report back at the end of the day. No contact! I don't want you talking to her. I don't want you touching her. I want you to be invisible to her."

Confused but not about to question orders the short spiky brunette shoved the paper in his pocket carelessly and dashed out the door.

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	3. Placed High Upon An Ivory Pedestal

Placed High Upon An Ivory Pedestal

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Disclaimer: I do not own Eyeshield 21.

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The spiky brunette lay flat against the brick wall and peered around the corner to see the girl he was supposed to watch having a conversation with another girl at a little coffee place. They seemed to be laughing and having an all around good time. He leaned in closer to try and hear what they talking about. He couldn't quite catch what they were saying. Maybe if he leaned in just a little bit more...

A few feet away a small girl no older than six was shopping with her mother who was admiring a dress hanging in the window. She tugged on her hand. "Mommy?"

"What is it?" The young mother looked down so she could see her daughter.

She pointed her little finger at the strange boy that was acting like the ninjas on the movie she watched last night. "What's that man doing?"

The girl's mother looked up to see him staring around the corner and lean so far forward that he actually fell over. Moving quickly he rolled back so he was once again behind the wall. The concerned mother pulled her daughter away. "Come on, honey. Let's go."

Meanwhile the boy in question was planning his next mode of attack. Glancing back he saw that she was still chatting happily with her blond friend. Determined to get closer so he could listen in he snatched a chalkboard listing the nearby restaurant's Soup of the Day and hid behind it. From there he crept over to the tree nearest to their table and hid behind the trunk. Now he had a great view and eavesdropping spot. Speaking of which, what were they saying?

"I'm telling you he's interested in you!" The blond she was sitting with gushed.

The girl he was tailing shrugged. "I don't know."

"You have to be blind not to notice the way he was checking you out! In case you didn't notice he wasn't exactly keeping eye contact when he was talking with you." The other girl took a sip of her water.

The girl identified as Mamori blushed profusely. "Yuki!"

"Hey I only call them like I see them." Yuki smiled and reclined back in her chair.

Ugh. The crouching spy stuck out his tongue in disgust. Girl talk. Making himself comfortable he tuned in and out of their conversation. Catching bits and pieces about an errand she had to run and how much homework she had to finish up over the weekend. Then it got quite for a while and after a full five minuets of silence he finally got curious enough to check on them. Only to find that Mamori had left and the blond was relaxing alone.

Crap! He had lost her!

He leaned against a nearby telephone pole trying to stay calm. 'Okay. No need to panic. Where did she say she was going? Think! She needed to pick up something. She had to go to somewhere. The Clay Mob? No. China Bull? That wasn't it. The Porcelain Riot! That was it! Hey I know where that is!'

Before he had a chance to forget he was racing down the street to the downtown area.

Birds On A Wire Café... Sewing Circle… To Be Continued Bookshop… Ah! Here it was, Porcelain Riot. Monta stopped walking right outside a small downtown store and pressed his face against the window to get a better look inside. He could see her!

Indeed she was browsing in the back of the store in between rows of shelves filled with various sizes of fragile figures all expectantly crafted into the shapes of animals, people, and buildings. Every so often she would pick up one piece only to gently put it back in its place.

He was about to walk inside when he remembered what Hiruma said about not being seen. Frantically he searched around until he found an old discarded newspaper. Grabbing he proudly opened it up and slinked inside. Then he started to follow her while pretending to read the newspaper, ducking his head down until you couldn't see it behind the paper whenever he thought she was turning around. It was during one of these times he accidentally bumped into the person in front of him who was then pushed into Mamori who was holding two glass animals.

The unexpected movement caused her to let go of the fragile and expensive items. As they fell to the floor she cringed as she expected the shattering glass.

Seeing the glass falling and the look of dread on her face, the spy dropped his newspaper and rushed ahead. They were getting to close to the ground to catch regularly so he dove into the light blue carpet and carefully caught the beautiful little sculptures. Letting out a sigh of relief he sat up to find her staring at him in disbelief. Uh oh. "Um… here you go?"

She took the small figures from his hands and gingerly set them back on the shelf. Turning around she saw him rubbing his aching elbows. "Hey are you all right?"

"I'm fine." He avoided eye contact as much as possible.

"Here. Let me help you up." She took his hand and tried pulling him to his feet.

The short spiky haired spy could already hear Hiruma cursing at him. Here he was having a small conversation with her hand in his after he was specifically told no talking, no touching. He tried to pull his hand back but her grip held firm. He kept trying anyway. "No need to help. I'm fine."

"Really I don't mind." She gave a tug and brought his to his feet.

A satisfying rip echoed throughout the small shop.

His hands immediately flew to his backside where it had suddenly become quite drafty. Why did this sort of thing always seem to happen to him? Quickly he moved back where he had dropped his paper and picked it up. He awkwardly placed it over the rip and started walking backwards to the nearest exit.

Only to be stopped by a gentle yet firm hand on his shoulder.

"You can't go out like that." Mamori dug through her purse for her cell phone. "Hold on a minute and I'll patch that up for you. My apartment isn't far from here. We can go there."

Monta threw up a hand while making sure the other was still securing the paper to his banana clad underwear that would be revealed if that paper was taken away. "That isn't necessary. I took the risk of something happening when I dove for that glass. I accept full responsibility and could not inconvenience you in any way."

"Don't be an idiot." She grabbed onto his collar as he once again made a dash for the door, the ringing of the other line still echoing in her ear. "You ripped your pants while helping me. The least I could do it sew up the hole for you." She gave him a gentle smile and pleading eyes. "Please?"

No warm-blooded male could resist that look and Monta was in fact a warm-blooded male. "All right."

"Thank you." During their conversation she had kept eye contact with him the whole time and refused to look away. Now she turned her head away as the person on the other end picked up. "Mom? Hey, I'm going to have to get the present later, something came up. Did you need anything else besides the glass figure of the dancing couple? No? Okay I'll see you later then. Love you too."

Because she was turned away from the boy who she still had a firm grip on and because she was focused on her phone conversation she failed to see the loving puppy dog look he was giving her and the fact that his cheeks were stained a light red, a look of awe and respect in his eyes.

Ah, young infatuation. Such a strong and beautiful emotion.

"Sorry about that, but I had to make sure she wasn't going to be waiting around for me to show up." Mamori's smile wavered slightly when he didn't respond. "Are you okay... um... uh... I'm sorry. I don't believe I caught your name."

He seemed to snap out of his trance and replied a little louder then he probably wanted to. "Monta!"

"Well, I'm Mamori." She reached for the door handle of the small shop. "Sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances."

Using his free hand he opened the door to let her out first.

Though slightly startled she gave him a kind smile and stepped outside. He followed quickly behind her, one hand still securing the newspaper to his ripped backside. Together they walked down the street. All thoughts of a painful infinity with a certain blond devil for being so close to the subject were nowhere to be found in his love struck mind. In fact the only thought in that head of his involved him in a tuxedo, a particular young woman in a white wedding dress, and the words 'I do...'

"-Not believe this!" Hiruma's booming voice only added into the thunder of the storm raging outside. The lightening flashes just made him seem that much more menacing. "What the hell were you thinking?! I told you not to be seen! No talking and under no circumstances were you to touch her!"

Though for all his wrath he was completely ignored as Monta was staring off into space. He had never noticed before but the blue pattern in the carpet beneath his feet was the most beautiful shade of blue. Bright, clear, with hints of other shades just like her eyes. Two sparkling sapphires brimming with happiness...

The sounds of bullets hitting the stone floor near where his feet were residing quickly snapped him out of his thoughts of the perfect women as he hopped from one foot to another in an attempt to keep all of his toes.

While some of his anger had subsided as he watched Manta dance about the floor like a trained monkey, most was still coursing through his body and so he did not stop shooting until he had run out of bullets. Even then he had to control the urge to just grab another piece of ammunition and repeating the process all over again. Maybe now he could finally get some straight answers. He leaned back against his comfortable throne.

Monta on the other hand was sitting on the stone plated floor blowing and fanning his feet in a desperate effort to cool them.

"Stop worrying about your damn feet and tell me what you found out!" Hiruma's voice echoed off the walls.

The young man stood up and looked out him with a strange expression on his face. "Found out?"

If it was possible Hiruma looked even angrier than before. His trigger finger twitched in blatant irritation. "You spent the whole damn day with her! Don't even think about playing stupid now what did you find out?!"

Monta considered the question. True he had spent the whole day with that enchanting woman and had learned quite a bit from being in her apartment. For example she was aspiring to be a pre-school teacher (he knew she'd make a great mother) and she had a weakness for sugary treats (though her figure didn't suffer from it). She enjoyed comfortable casual clothes and a pair of sneakers over heels. She had graduated at the top of her class (he knew she was smart) and had a fondness of Disney if her movie collection was any indication (so pure and innocent she was!).

The sound of the blond devil's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Well?"

Monta thought about it for a moment wrathful devil or caring angle? In her pondering he put a hand in his back pocket only to feel the skillful stitch of his kind angel. His decision was made as he gave a careless shrug of her shoulders. "I don't know anything. Only what was on the paper you gave me."

"Damn it!" Hiruma was not pleased with his answer. "Don't you lie to me!"

Though his knees shook in fear Monta held firm. "I-I'm not lying. I couldn't f-find anything new."

A loud clash of thunder and flash of lightening shocked the sky as Hiruma met his limit. Getting up he stormed out of the room, yelling as he headed for the front door. "Damn Gramps you're in charge! Everyone keep working! I'll be back so no slacking! "

Musashi poked his head out just in time to see the heavy wooden door slam shut.

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	4. A Brush With The Devil & Death

A Brush With The Devil & Death

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Disclaimer: I do not own Eyeshield 21.

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Hiruma marched down the street with a determined air about him and his hands shoved into his coat pockets. The crowded sidewalk parted like the Red Sea as he continued his trek though through the busy streets of Tokyo. As he mumbled various curses and profanity mothers covered the ears of their young children and sent him glares which he promptly ignored. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a sign advertising 'Kariya's Cream Puffs the Best in Town!' Making a turn he walked into the small store and looked around for the girl that seemed to have the strange ability to turn his servants against him.

His sour mood only got worse as he realized that she wasn't working and for the second time that day he stormed out a doorway...

Only to crash straight into someone who was entering. The impact caused him to take a few startled steps backwards whereas the other person fell onto their backside with a small thud. He snapped at the other person. "Watch where you're going!"

"Excuse me?!" The sound of an angry woman's voice reached his ears.

He looked down to find the familiar face of the woman with blue eyes that were currently glaring at him and short auburn colored hair. This could work to his advantage if he played his cards right. "Are you deaf or just stupid? I said watch were you're going!"

The young woman pushed herself off the ground and onto her feet. In no time at all she was looking him straight in the eyes, though she had to tilt her head up in order to do it. "You have some nerve to run into me and then you have the audacity to tell me to watch where I'm going! Just who do you think you are?! "

"The devil." He answered with a smug smirk as he stared back.

Mamori sighed internally. Great. He was a complete nut job. "Right and I'm the queen of England. Now if you'll excuse me..."

As she tried side stepping him so she could get inside and start her shift he moved right in her path. She tried going back around only to be blocked once again. Letting out an annoyed sound that sounded very similar to a growl she tried one last time to enter the shop. She failed as he moved in front of her. Her eyes flashed as she stared at him in complete annoyance. "What's your problem?"

He just gave her a grin that left her feeling slightly unnerved before walking away. She watched him disappear into the crowd and shook her head. Heading inside she mumbled under her breath, "Annoying jerk."

For the rest of the day Mamori couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. The prickling sensation on the back of her head would not go away and no matter how many times she looked around, she couldn't find anyone staring at her. Though she found herself thinking about that strange blond she had ran into earlier more than once. Slowly but surely the rest of the day past. She let out a big sigh of relief as the clock struck nine, signaling the end of her shift. With one last wave to her felllow co-worker she left the small pastry shop and headed down the street.

Walking down the virtually empty street she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. She had walked home in the dark before, even later than this and hadn't even batted an eye. She glanced over her shoulder. Now she was acting like a scared rabbit waiting for the hungry wolf to come out of hiding.

Somewhere in the distance a dog let out a howl.

Mamori steadied her shoulders and picked up her pace ever so slightly. Okay, bad analogy. What a weird week! There was that poor boy she had helped earlier that week. She ran a hand through her short hair. 'Such a sweet boy, I hope he's all right.'

Then there was that strange young guy who had ripped his pants... 'Poor guy. That had to have been embarrassing. That reminds me I'm running low on thread and I think I'm one lost needle away from having none. Better go shopping tomorrow.'

And last but far from least was today's incident, which topped all the others. Her eyes narrowed and she felt her earlier anger creeping back. _'He_ bumped into _me_ and do I get an apology? A how are you? A let me help you up? No! I get 'watch where you're going!' And what was with the whole 'devil' thing? Some kind of weird joke?' Mamori let out a sigh and made a decision. 'Pull yourself together! No more thinking about some rude weirdo. He doesn't deserve it.'

With a triumphant smile on her face and her mind set she stepped into the street. So sidetracked with her own thoughts she had forgotten one of the most important rules of walking how in the dark: look both ways before crossing the street because drivers at night could not be trusted.

It would figure that the one and only time the normally cautious Mamori forgot to look both ways would be the time that some idiot obviously not fit to be behind the wheel of anything, let alone a car, decided it would be a nice night for a drive and come barreling down the road. Looking up to see the blinding yellow of the headlights of a car that was not in anyway showing signs of slowing down, she didn't have any time to get out of the way. Shutting her eyes tight, she crossed her arms in front of her face as she braced herself for impact.

It all happened so fast. No sooner than she had covered herself she was hit and felt herself falling to the hard street. There was a burning feeling on both of her forearms, her side felt like it was going to be one big bruise, the wind was knocked right out of her, her left ankle stung a little, and her head had a dull ache.

Strange. She thought being hit by a speeding car would hurt much more than this, at the very least she figured that she would have blacked out. Come to think of it the impact was odd. Instead of being hit head on as she should have been, she was rammed from her side. Then there was that odd weight covering her and something was cradling her head. Since when did cars cradle? Since when did they breathe?!

Mamori eyes opened, slowly at first but soon they where wide open in shock. She was not surrounded by the stinging asphalt or even the cold depths of oblivion accompanying her death. Instead she found herself quite alive and well, minus a few minor injuries with a warm body engulfing her form. Wait. Warm body?

Her mind finally catching up with her senses she turned her head and found herself staring at what appeared to be a man's chest clad in a black cotton t-shirt. That 'something' that was cradling her head was in fact his left arm that had prevented her head from making direct contact with the street. His front completely covered her right side and back, his right arm clamped to her waist. Upon looking up to see the face of her savior, her eyes had nearly popped out of her head in shock.

It was the nut job from earlier!

There was no mistaking that head of blond spiky hair and the flashing blue eyes that where currently narrowed to the point of them being slits. He seemed to be wishing death in the direction the car had fled to. Returning her head to its proper position, Mamori unclenched her fists and attempted to push herself into an upright sitting position. The instant stinging sensation in her arms made her hiss in pain.

Suddenly she found herself free of his grasp. Opening her eyes that she had snapped shut she found herself staring right into a pair of eyes that reminded her of a lightening storm. She gave what sounded like a startled squeak and jumped a little. Her side immediately protested the movement and her left arm automatically went to the aching area. This only caused more discomfort as the open wound of her scrape brushed against the rough fabric of her shirt. For the first time Mamori said something. "Owww!"

"Damn idiot." The strange man mumbled more to himself then to her as he gently picked up her wrists and turned them over. The palms of both hands were an angry raw red and her forearms were scraped with small amounts of blood still flowing through some of the deeper parts.

Mamori's eyes narrowed. The fact he had just saved her life quickly fled from her mind as soon as the insult had left his lips. "Excuse me? Just where do you get of insulting me like that?!"

"It wasn't an insult, it was the truth. What kind of idiot crosses the street without checking for cars first?" He gave her a quick look over, his face turning into an angry frown. Shrugging off his brown coat he draped it over her shoulders. When she tried to take it off he merely held the front closed with a firm grip. "Quit your squirming and wear the stupid jacket and just the hell were you thinking walking home alone at this time of night?!"

The auburn haired young woman momentarily halted her struggle. "Were you following me?!"

The stranger- emphasis on strange- simply ignored her question and continued his business of inspecting some of the worse off cuts. Seemingly coming to a decision he straightened himself up and attempted to bring the young woman to her feet. Though, she didn't take too kindly to that.

"What do you thing you're doing! Get your hands off of me! Let me go!" Panic seized Mamori as she attempted to bat him away by beating his nearest shoulder with her fists. Hey, give her a break. She was a pretty young woman alone on the streets with a guy she had only met once, it hadn't been a very pleasant first meeting either, who was trying to get her to go somewhere. Sure he had just saved her life but that was beside the point!

What was the point exactly? The point was she didn't want to be that woman on the six o' clock news whose unidentified body was found face down in a ditch off some rural road because she was stupid enough to walk home alone!

"What the hell is your problem?!" The blond man snapped as he barely avoided being elbowed in the eye.

"My problem?!" Mamori increased her struggles. "My problem is some stranger is man-handeling me! Probobly planning on dragging me off to some remote place and having your way with me! Now, let me go! Let me go or I'll scream!"

"Dammit, woman! I'm just trying to help you up!" The man snapped as he grabbed one of her flailing arms and placed it over his shoulder.

She stopped and raised a curious eyebrow. "That's all? You're just going to help me up? No funny business?"

"Why would I want to try anything with you?"

Mamori didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted by that statement, so she just remained silent. That was until he tried pulling her to her feet and a sharp pain shot through her left ankle. "Ow!! Hey, watch it! Stop! I'm injured you- you- jerk!"

"Quit your whining!" The man yelled back at her though he was more mindful. Helping her to her uninjured foot he mumbled to himself. "This is why I don't get involved with women. All a bunch of annoying, loud, demanding witches. Damn old man, when I get back-"

She looked at him like he was crazy. "Did you say something?"

"None of your business!" He snapped back and slung his arm around her waist. Supporting her weight, he tired to get her to start walking. "Now, where do you live?"

Instead of a straight answer he got a long, _loud_ lecture about how she wasn't about to tell him where she lived. That he had better let her go, she'd call the cops, she'd get a taxi, about any excuse imaginable came out of her mouth as she avoided telling him any helpful information. His eyes narrowed as his mind began making plans. He was already formulating ides on how that damn baldy was going to pay for this.

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	5. When Heaven & Hell Collide

When Heaven & Hell Collide

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Disclaimer: I do not own Eyeshield 21.

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It had been a week since the little incident with the speeding car and the strange man and for some unconcivable reason she couldn't get him out of her head! She was even starting to see him: at her work, at school, in the library, on the streets, everywhere she looked there he was! But at the same time he wasn't- if that made any sense. You see when ever she tried to get a closer look or try to talk to him he seemingly disappeared. There was even one incident when she ran up to him and was about to grab him to make sure he didn't disappear last minute, her fingers had barely managed to skin his shirt when- poof! He was gone!

After that she couldn't help but feel that she was losing it. Even now, opening the door to her modest apartment, she could swear that she saw a blond spiky head vanish around the corner. Letting out a sigh she closed the door behind her, kicked off her shoes and made a beeline for her bed. Collapsing upon it she glanced at her clock.

11: 35 PM

Burying her head into her pillow she let out another sigh. She really had to stop taking the late-night shift. With her eyes drifting shut and her bed being so comfortable and warm Mamori felt herself falling asleep. Surprisingly enough the last coherent thought she had before completely slipping away was a memory. A memory of the first time she meet the strange blond man...

_"You have some nerve to run into me and then you have the audacity to tell me to watch where I'm going! Just who do you think you are?! "_

_"The devil." He answered with a smug smirk as he stared back._

Oh, well. It probably didn't mean anything anyway.

Before the sleeping girl knew it the sun was up and her alarm was buzzing like crazy. With a small yawn she got up, switched it off, and headed for her small kitchen for some breakfast. Since it was Saturday she didn't have to worry about work but she had a whole list of errands she needed to run before going to the library for an afternoon reading for the kids.

The sound off clicking computer keyes brought her out of her thoughts. What the heck? She wasn't on a computer... she didn't even own one! Looking up her eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly. She rubbed her eyes and looked again.

Mamori was seriously considering the idea of a vacation. She was obviously working too hard for too many hours. After all there was no way that she was actually seeing the weirdo who had saved her life sitting on her kitchen counter, typing away at a laptop, and chewing gum at, she glanced at the microwave clock, seven forty-five in the morning. There was no way. None. It was impossible.

"About damn time you woke up." The man didn't take his eyes off the screen. "I was getting tired of waiting for you to drag your lazy ass out of bed."

All right, it wasn't nearly as impossible as she thought. In fact it was more than possible. It was real.

Letting out a scream loud enough to cause him to cringe, Mamori run behind her couch and grabbed the phone. With one hand dialing 911 the other quickly grabbed the nearest object- a pillow as the case was- and threw it at the man's head. This was followed by a magazine, remote, and a shoe that had been carelessly left on the floor.

Being caught off guard, the pillow had actually made contact. He let out a curse before getting up, while carefully dodging the other flying projectiles, and circled around the couch. She was almost within his reach when she bolted into the small kitchen. Almost immediately he found himself the target of many things that were not meant to be thrown. And damn it all if she didn't have a good arm!

In the midst of the war zone Mamori heard a comforting voice over the receiver. _"This is 911. What is your emergency?"_

"Hello! I'm Mamori Anezaki and there's a strange man in my apartment!" By this time she had unknowingly backed herself against a wall with the blue eyed man getting closer. Worse still she was running out of things to throw at him. "I need help now!"

_"Calm down Miss. Just secure yourself in the bathroom or any other room with a lock-"_

The person on the other end was cut off when Mamori started yelling into the receiver. "I don't have time to get to the bathroom! He's right in front of me!"

_"I need your address! Miss?! Can you hear me? I need your address! Miss?!"_

He had finally managed to get close enough to knock the phone out of her hand. He was about to make a grab for her when out of nowhere something came up from the side and hit him with such a force that it actually caused him to stumble back slightly.

The moment that phone had left her hand blind panic had taken over. Not having the luxury of time to think she grabbed hold of the nearest thing that could be used as a weapon, it happened to be a broom, and swung as hard as she could at the man before her. Seeing him stumble back she made a rush for the couch. She had almost succeeded in jumping over it and making a get away through the fire-escape when a hand grabbed her arm. Twirling around, she smacked him again and again and again.

Before she had the chance to strike him a fourth time he caught the broom and ripped it from her hand, tossing it in the general direction of the kitchen. He then captured both her hands and held them tightly.

Did this stop her from fighting back? Not by a long shot. Instead she struggled even harder and tried to kick him. "Let me go! Let me go!"

"Damnmit woman! Quit your squirming!" He growled as he lost his balance and they both toppled over the back of the coach, rolled off of it, only to land on the floor. This put him on top of her.

Still kicking she doubled her efforts. "As if! Now, get off me! Help! Som-"

One of his large hands over her mouth abruptly stopped any further cries for assistance. He glared at her. "No more of that you kami damned banshee."

Mamori contemplated how hard she'd have to kick him in order for him to lose his grip on her and allow a speedy getaway.

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End file.
